Jumbo Aims To Make 27 Million Drinking Cups Sustainable

Dutch retailer Jumbo has announced a project that aims to make more than 27 million drinking cups sustainable on an annual basis.

It will involve studying the use of drinking cups by customers and employees, the materials used in making these cups, and the possibility of installing collection points for recycling.

The retailer will then look for measures that will result in fewer and more recyclable industrial waste streams.

An 'Icon Project'

The project has been selected by the Rijkswaterstaat (Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management) as an 'icon project', the company said.

Director of buying and merchandising at Jumbo, Olaf de Boer, said, "We have just submitted this project because, in addition to reducing and improving our product packaging, we also want to contribute to reuse and recycling of packaging and use of materials in general.

"This is the only way we can work towards developing a circular economy, in which materials can be reused after use, with the least possible amount of waste."

Other Initiatives

The retailer has pledged to reduce its packaging materials by 20% and make 95% of all packaging materials recyclable by 2025.

Recently, it replaced plastic packaging from its organic kiwis, avocados and bio bananas with banderoles, which 'wrap' around the product.

Commencing in March of this year, the retailer will introduce orange juice bottles made of 50% recycled plastic, while fresh fish in Jumbo outlets will be packed in 80% recycled plastic from the end of February 2019.